The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-17

the line phase, have settled down upon gas
belt" which is a much better way of putting it.
The gas belt as laid down on a map, is merely
an attempt at the surface plating Of one of the
broad subterranean ridges. However, as these
ridges run like mountain ridges, and it is hard
to tell when they may swerve to the right hand
or left, they are, at the best, uncertain. Any
gas belt" made out so far in this State
indicates Trenton fold running approx
mateiy east and west, perhaps north
of west. At present the whole thing is like
lottery-some draw prizes and others blanks.
and NO man can tell beforehand which it will be.
When the gas is issuing from the well. then you
may De certain, but not before. When you
hear the common and confident statement,
We'll strike gas sure" you may know that is
simply strong way of expressing the hope that
s'well strike gas" When therefore, our drill
enters the Trenton rock, then. and not till then.
will have my opinion as TO whether well
strike gas" ''Wais and see" should be the uni
versal answer to all inquiries to the probabili-
ties OF obtaining gas. The recent strike OF gas
at Greensburg may puzzle some who have
plotted out gas belt" but it has as good a
right to be sin the belt" any other town. 1t
simply serves to further illustrate the statement
that We have no definite knowledge of the
topography of the Trenton.
IL
Having in this general way located the nat
ural gas of the Trenton formation, it remains to
attempts an answer to the second problem pre-
sented, viz, the nature and origin of natural
gas. Here we find the widest difference of opin-
ion. and the strargest contradictions, astonish-
ishing enough when it is remembered that both
parties in the case are fully qualified to EXPRESS
an opinion. 1t would seem simple enough to
take natural gas, subject it to chemical analy-
sis. and settle once for all its composition But
this has been done, and the results vary widely.
1t seems to be the old case of men looking at diff
ferent sides of a shield, and disputing as to it's
composition, when 1t turned out that they were
both right. So if the creditabIe analyses of
gases are at variance it follows that natural
ic rerf~ cts oh Nd khar
different kinds-so different in fact as to demand
different engines / believe that this has been
demonstrated. I suppose that any gas issuing
from the earth that will burn is called natural
that phrase, and it is common TO
think that it is of necessity all
alike It would seem strange if in our chemical
laboratories we can manufacture several kinds
of indammabe gas that the enormous labora-
tories of the earths interior, with their unlimited
material and infinitely diverse conditions,
confined to the manufacture Of but one gas that
will burn. But this is not proof II we visit
some pond in which there is decaving vegetation
and stir up the decomposing mass beneath the
water We will see bubbles of gas arising rapidly
through the water and bursting at the surface.
1t wemeet these ascending bubbles with lighted
match we will notice squirt of flame. Collect
ing larger amount of the gas in a bottle we can
easily satisfy ourselves as to its infammabilitv,
and probably its explosive tendency. From the
place OF its occurrence this has been called
u
featured by the decomposition of organic matter
either plant or animal out Of free access of air.
In digging wells in the sand and gravel of
our OVERLAPPING drift sometimes gas is struck
time in few cases. for years. An examination
will discover that a lot of organic debris has
been reached. rubbish of plants and animals,
pushed, perhaps, in great heaps by the glacier
movements which brought the sand and gravel
of the drift. Buried thus out of reach of free
air, the heaps have been decomposing for CEN
turtles, and some impervious layer of clay, lying
above, has kept the manufactured gas from
working 20 the surface and escaping. So they
have collected in this clay capped reservoir, and
as this same marsh gas is prominently present
the whole thing is inaammable. In both Of
these cases marsh gas, a carburetted hydrogen
being compound of carbon and hydrogen. is
the chief thing. and is the reason OF the infiam-
inability, and its only source in nature that has
come under our observation, is the decomposi-
ton OF organic matter, plants or animals, buried
away from air. In the case or these surface
wells the pressure can never be very much.
Very often, when this surface gas is obtained it
tis taken to be ''sign" of greater riches below.
tit may mean nothing Of the kind. It would be
a very exceptional condition of things if it did
mean any more than lot of drift stuff near the
bottom of the well. There is, therefore, no
special advantage, when searching after deep
seated gas in looking for surface signs" such
as oily scum on the water or some gas leakage.
These are more than apt to be from superficial
decay. In the rare cases of faults, that is deep
cracking of the rocks, nature may have furnished
vent to some subterranean gas supply, and
there would be found an abundance of good sur
face sign, and so, too. would there be good gas
we'll in full blast. Going into poorly
ventilated coal mine, you frequently find
accumulations OF gas given off by
the coal. that burns with explosive
violence when ignited, the dreaded "fre-dampD
OF tho miners to protect, against which Davy's
safety lamps were invented. This, again. is a
natural gas, and is this same marsh gas, for the
coal beds are masses of varied vegetation un-
dergoing slow decomposition out of free access
to air. Thus it is. in the neighboraood of coal
fields. a natural gas may be obtained which has
come, in this way, from the coal itself. When
petroleum was discovered, associated with i,
was always found more or less of an inflamma.
BILE natural gas which evidently had the same
origin as petroleum, if not derived from it. The
composition OF the two places them in the same
series OF substances, so that petroleum and nat
ural gas OF the oil regions and o-bearing strata
will serve to explain each other. This gas again,
shows marsh gas or carburetted hydrogen as its
principal ingredient, and it has been demonstrate
ed that petroleum. and hence its related form,
natural gas, has come from the decomposition OF
organic matter. This close association of gas
and petroleum in the oil regions led the early
practice in this State of boring on for oil after
gas was obtained. 1t is not to be wondered at
therefore, that when natural gas was obtained in
western Ohio and eastern Indiana, it was
thought to be the petroleum gas, that is. mainly
marsh gas and hence from decomposing organic
matter. The first objections to this theory were
two in number as follows: First. gas accumu
lated in this way would soon be exhausted; sec
ond, there could not be enough of organic accu
mutations to manufacture such a supply In
answer to the first objection it may oe urged
that we cannot take it for granted
that these wells are to be everlast
ing, as We have not had time enough
to prove the fact. They may all blow out pres
entity, like many gas and oil well in the oil re-
gions Of Pennsylvania has already done, or they
may not To say that we know they will not
d saying that we hope they will not
for we have no means YET of telling. have nc
question, however but that there is an abun
dance of gas in Indiana for all the needs of this
generation, and we can let posterity look out fol-
| ITSELF AS to the second objection. viz: thai
that there could not be enough of organic &C
foundations to manufacture such supply,
would not consider it objection at all, The
amount Of organic remains buried in the rocks
10 simply incalculable, for there have been mill
ions of years in which it has been accommodating
But a moro direct proof than the general state
ment will be more satisfactory. The following
| quotation from Professor Shaler will express it:
''There are many deposits of clay shale that are
full OF organic matter from which coal oil can be
distilled; but it is not so cheap as that from
flowing wells. they have not been used since the
flowing wells were found One of these beds Of
clay shale. IN the valley of the Ohio, extends
miles in area and averages over one hundred
| feet thick" Remember, that this is but u very
shallow depth and restricted area as compared